Fate of the Damned
by Nymphetamine Wing
Summary: It's been 6 years since Damali Richards has stepped foot in the mansion on the hill she once called home. What news does her Mother Seer have in store for the Neteru Huntress? ::Adapted from L.A. Banks's A Vampire Huntress Legend series:: Rated M for late


_Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Vampire Huntress Legend series or any of its affiliates. This story is adapted from the novels and consists of some original characters._

_Please read and review. I always enjoy hearing from my readers._

_Thank you,_

_HerVampyricBeauty_

_**Fate of the Damned**_

"Damali?" The voice on the other end of the receiver was old and sweet. "Damali? We need to talk." Damali Richards yawned into the phone, "About what, Marlene?" Stoic static pressed against her eardrum, "Get to the Sanctuary as soon as you can, child. I'll be waiting." There was a loud click, then Marlene Stone spoke no more. Damali stared into the receiver. She could definitely feel the vibes feeding through the telephone lines and from the elder seer, and they weren't good. _Dammit, Marlene. You know I don't do this shit anymore. _Damali slung her legs over the edge of her bed and stared at the floor.She ran a distraught hand through her brown dreads. She carefully slipped into her signature combat boots and lace-up black leather pants, wary of Baby Isis tucked securely in her right boot. She went into her bathroom and looked into the mirror. _What am I doing? I can't go back there. But she needs me…_ She could see the bags under her eyes, evidence that she hadn't had a good night's sleep in awhile. She leaned over the sink and splashed cold water against her face, trying to wash away the feeling of dread that was slowly beginning to crawl its way to the surface. She looked back into the mirror, dried her face, then pulled her locks into a somewhat pony-tail. She reached for her darkest lipstick and smeared it over her lips. Later, she wrote a note to Carlos on the mirror in that same lipstick, "At the Sanctuary, see you there. XOXO." With that, she grabbed her purse and keys and was gone.

She stood outside of the wrought iron gates that lead into the place she once called home during her rebellious years. The mansion on the hill was boarded up and holes peeked out from behind wooden planks, proof of the last battle's aftermath. _How long has it been now? Six years? _She sighed and kicked the gates open, not wanting to fully know what Marlene had seen.

The smell of freshly brewed black tea reached Damali's nose as she entered the kitchen. Marlene, her once strong Mother Seer, had grown older in the past six years. She looked weaker. Her blank eyes glanced over Damali, causing Damali to falter. She had nearly forgotten Marlene had gone blind after the last battle. _Shit. I'm so sorry, Marlene. _She caught herself on a chair across from Marlene. "Sit, child. Have some tea." Marlene smiled and slid a porcelain tea cup her way. Damali sipped the bitter brew, calming instantly. "How have you-" Damali started, swallowed her heart in her throat, and began again, "How have you been, Mar?" Marlene turned towards her voice, and reached out for the young woman's hands. She grasped them tightly, "Damali, I've been worried. My dreams are getting more and more fierce, I fear for the others." Damali raised an eyebrow, "Who? The team? Are they alright?" The elder shook her head and sipped her tea, "No, child, the other _Neterues_." Damali's eyes widened. Ever since she was taken in by Mar and the rest of the team, she was told that there was only _one_ Neteru born every _thousand_ years. Marlene shook her head again, reading Damali's thoughts, "We lied. To protect them, honey. But now I fear the only way _to_ protect them is to bring you together, _all_ of you."

Damali stood up, "Not uh, Mar, you know I gave that shit up a long time ago. I'm doing good now, got a family. I can't be going around playing super hero anymore. If the world's gonna fall, honey, I wanna be as ignorant as all the rest." Marlene's face was stone cold, "You still carry Isis, baby, I know you need this. I can feel it. Don't lie to yourself, you know you miss kicking Nuit's ass." Damali laughed. She didn't need to hear her Mother Seer telling her what she needed, she liked her life. It was quiet, peaceful. Calm, serene, pleasant...

"Alright." She returned to her seat, "I _do_ miss it. But shit, Mar, what the hell am I supposed to do? Everyone's gone, doing their own thing, living their own lives, how can I mess that up?" Marlene laughed now, "Honey, they're your Guardians. Their lives come second to no one but you." Damali shook her head, "Even then, how am I supposed to protect the other Neterues if no one knows they even exist?"

"Wrong, baby. _We_ know they exist." Carlos Rivera morphed out of the darkest shadow in the kitchen. His dark eyes surveyed Damali's look of shock and scorn. He had promised her he wouldn't use his vampiric powers in front of her again, he would hear from her later.

Marlene stood and wandered over to Carlos's presence. She grasped his hand, "Ah, Carlos. I'm so glad you could make it, dear." She led him to a seat besides his wife. That's when Damali noticed it. Marlene had set the table for nine. _She's bringing us all back._

Soon the kitchen was filled with stories of old and memories of past as her six other Guardians drank tea and remembered. She was laughing again. _How long had it been since you laughed like this? Too long._ Everyone was there. Big Mike, Rider, 'Bazz, J.L., Dan, and even Wizard. She had brought them all back. Back to fight against Fallon Nuit, back to defend the light and save humanity. All over again. Marlene cleared her throat and the stories died, "I've been having a lot of dreams lately. I fear for the Light's safety from the Evil that is Fallon Nuit." 'Bazz reached up and took hold of his wife's hand, "The others are in danger." 'Bazz was good with words, simple and to the point. The room was silent. _How many of them knew?_ Damali surveyed the bright kitchen, everyone had a look of determination on their face. They all knew. She was the only one left out in the cold. Marlene nodded, "My dreams are intense, feeding off the energies attacking Egypt, the Fallen Land. We must hurry to Cairo, find Sister Neteru Ferra, and protect her at all costs." Here, Marlene turned her attention to Damali, "She's younger than you, and hasn't quite mastered her Neteru prowess. She needs you, Damali." Damali nodded. She didn't like being forced into saving some other holier-than-thou bitch in another land, but whatever it took to make things right again.

"When do we leave?" Big Mike asked. "The second you pack your things." With that, Marlene ended the meeting. She grabbed her walking stick and left the white kitchen, leaving the others to stare and wonder.

Carlos stood behind his wife and pushed a stray lock back, "You know she wouldn't have called if shit wasn't going down." Damali sighed and dropped her head to the table. The room was silent, everyone watching their moves. It's not that Carlos's presence irritated them, they had gotten past that awhile back. No, it was that worry-sick feeling Damali was pulsing through the room. They could all feel her uneasiness. Carlos lifted her chin up and tilted her head back to look into his eyes. "Listen, baby. She needs you. I know shit's been rough since the last battle, but damn, baby girl, you need to accept it and move on." Damali wanted to get away from his gaze, all of their fucking stares. She closed her eyes. "Sugar, it's not your fault." It was 'Bazz. A tear rolled down Damali's cheek. "I should've been there earlier. Seen it coming, gotten her outta the way!"

"Honey, if you had done that, you'd be the one blind." Everyone was silent. 'Bazz spoke the truth. Nothing was more important to anyone in this room than Damali's life and well-being. "You couldn't have saved her, Damali. Not without harming yourself in the process." Damali stood from the table and rushed out of the kitchen, she needed to get away from their eyes.

She found solitude in her old room. The lights flickered on and she flung herself onto the bed, burying her head deep within the plush pillows. _Why can't they see it's all my fault?! I should've been there, Dammit!_ She punched the pillows violently. "Calm down, child. You're sending all sorts of bad vibes through the house." Marlene leaned over the bed and pulled a few stray dreads from Damali's face. "Shit, Mar, I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. I wanted to be there! If I was there, then Carlos would've hit me and I would've saved you from all this!" Sobs shook Damali as her Mother Seer looked on with reserve. "Honey, please understand. You are the single most important aspect of this whole operation. If you were to become damaged or-"

"Mar, you're like a mother to me, and is it not a daughter's duty to protect their mother at all costs?" Damali sat up and grabbed Marlene's hand. "You hold this whole operation together, not me. If you're broken then the whole team is broken. Just let me do it. Please." Marlene stood and shook her head, releasing Damali's hand. "No, Damali. You know very well that if you use your power on me you will die. Besides, child. I'm fine. This blindness has caused me to heighten my abilities to See." Damali slammed her fist into the pillows once more, "Dammit to hell, Marlene! You're everything to me! I can't stand seeing you like this…So weak…And powerless…" Marlene chuckled. "Just because I can't _see_ you, doesn't mean I can't _fight_ you." She sat down on the edge of the bed and gingerly played with Damali's hair. "Child. I'm fine. You're the one who needs to be strong for this operation to work. _You_ need to be there for the team. You need to be strong, Damali. You are a _Neteru_, you're not powerless. And neither am I, so long as you live." Damali hiccupped into the pillows and nodded her head in defeat.

"Now, come on. Everyone's waiting to hear about Tikiya."


End file.
